P313 CEEFAX 313 Tue 12 Jun 21:26/24 1/4 OO EURO-ELECTIONS June 1984 FRANCE How the French voted in 1979 % Giscardians 27.9 Socialist 23.4 Communists 20.4 Neg-Gaullists 16.2 Others 12.1 National profile in a momentP313 CJEFAX 313 Tue 12 Jun 21:32/44 2/4 OO EURO-ELECTIONS June 1984 FRANCE Turn out at 1979 Euro-election: 60.7 pet cent (Electorate: 35.2m). Parties in national government: Socialist, Communist. European election voting system: Voluntary voting from age of 18. A simple method of voting is used, with one round of voting and the seats distributed proportionately from a single national constituency. So each group puts forward a list of 81 names for the 81 seats at stake, and seats are split on the pjrcentagj vote. National profile continuesP313 CEEFAX 313 Tue 12 Jun 21:11/12 3/4 EURO-ELECTIONS June 1984 FRANCE Numbjt of seats in European parliament: Eighty-one, consisting of: * 23 Socialists * 9 Christian Democrats * 19 Communists and Allies * 15 Liberals and Democrats * 15 European Progressive Democrats BBC correspondent's view in a momentP313 CEEFAX 313 Tue 12 Jun 21:11/51 4/4 O A view by the BBC's Paris Correspondent It is trujt than evjt that in France European elections are a test of domestic popularity. One reason is that France has a lift- wing government, which is seen bz the lift and the right as a much more unusual state of affairs than it would bj in, say, Britain. The Community is not a matter of controversy among the French, and the differences between the European platforms of the main parties are minimal. - Philip Short -